A Burning Soul in a Frozen Kingdom
by Silent Hero 13
Summary: "A person's life is not comprised of four repeating seasons, but a year-long winter wilderness." Kyousuke, the boy who lost many things eight years ago in a tragic event, lives on as Human-Soul Reaper working for a criminal empire. He and his partner, Haruka Kurosaki, become ensared in a game of cat-and-mouse with a devil that seeks to start a revolution. Post Fullbringer arc.
1. The Start of an Endless Winter

A/N: This story will replace the Thousand-year Blood War Arc. It will be an OC story, but rest assured that the Bleach characters will show up at point in the story, just not now. Now assuming you're still reading, I hope that you enjoy the story XD

_Rated for 16 and above._

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, just my characters.

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><p><em>"As long as we live and breathe, our way is paved with ice.<em>

_A person's life is not comprised of four repeating seasons, but a year-long winter wilderness._

_Whether or not you stop to wipe your blood or tears, they will inevitably freeze over-__"_

Thick black clouds of smoke slowly poisoned the sunset-orange sky, covering it with its darkness. The origin of the smoke came from the dying fires scattered amongst the debris of fallen buildings. The explosion was sudden, but devastating. It claimed the lives of hundreds if not thousands of people in the airport. Some were completely obliterated without a trace and others simply burned to death. Those that were still alive didn't live for much longer as other worldly beasts, somehow triggered by the blast, emerged from a dark portal and began feasting on them. Those who could see them tried to run. Those who couldn't perished without knowing how. The chaos was happening right before his very eyes and the boy could do nothing but helplessly lie amongst the scattered debris, watching as the world went to hell.

Though the ringing in the boy's ears was still loud, he could hear the gut-wrenching howls of the creatures that prowled around and the sound of many human screams that were slowly being silenced one by one. Still in a dazed state, his eyes wandered, unable to focus on anything in particular, absently scanning the rest of his surroundings. He tried to stand up, but his small body was far too weak and sluggish to do that, and he was certain his legs were asleep.

His other senses were coming alive and the distinct smell of charred flesh filled his nostrils which made his stomach churn and threaten to empty its contents. His vision suddenly blurred and he could barely make out the clouds of smoke drifting towards the sky, much less the intimidating shadow that appeared before him.

His blood ran cold. Those hollowed creatures had come for him. It was his turn to be devoured by the menacing beasts. To him, it was already a miracle he had lasted this long, and even though he hadn't thought about it, he did have some hope that he would survive nonetheless. But all he could do was wait for the impending jaws to sink into his flesh and hope it would be quick. At the very least, the boy wanted to see what kind of monster would deliver his end if not anything else. He tried blink his eyes into focus.

He blinked hard. Once. Twice. Thrice.

When things came into focus, what he saw was not quite what he expected.

A woman, pistols in both hands and a cigarette loosely hanging between her full pink lips, looked down at him with grey unsympathetic eyes. Like a goddess, her features were flawless and they were only accentuated by the orange glow of the afternoon sun she bathed in. Her wavy blonde hair framed around her face and almost obscuerd her eyes. The wind blew and her hair freely flowed in the breeze, captivating the boy with its enchanting dance. She stared into his amber eyes and he stared back.

"Hey, brat. Do you want to live?" Her voice was cold, but at the same time it was hypnotic the young boy's ears.

In that moment, the pain had left him. The sadness, loneliness and hurt, gone from his mind. Thoughts about his family that he had lost in the explosion, that he himself barely lived through and the hollowed creatures that lurked about, became a simple afterthought. Right now, he would latch on to anything that remotely offered some sense of safety, no matter what it was, because he only had one thing in mind,

_Survival._

The boy's head mechanically moved up and down.

"Oh?" The woman raised an eybrow. "Think about it carefully. If you live, your life will no longer be your own. Following me might prove to be worse than death, I guarantee. You'll be swallowed into a world of the likes your mind has never even imagined. Your heart will change, your dreams will die and you will be unable to escape once you enter and only death will be your salvation. Knowing all this, do you still wish to live? I wouldn't be surprised if you were scared."

The world was growing dimmer and dimmer, the blackness closing in around his vision. Her words had struck something within the pit of his stomach. It was cold. Her warning simply terrified him to the extent that he had almost forgotten to breathe. Life not being his own? Dreams dying? Death being the only salvation? Of course he was scared. Who wouldn't be? Knowing that your life wouldn't never be the same would make anyone afraid... Yeah he was scared. But there was something else that frightened him even more.

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he nodded again, this time instead of the blank expression he donned before, his amber eyes were wide and full of life. Desperation. His eyes evoked the desperation that told whoever gazed into them that he would live on, that he refused to die like this, in a place like this.

His face writhed in agony as he shakily raised his arm, slowly reaching out towards the woman.

He wanted to survive. He would cling to this life of his at all costs and reject the unfair fate the world pushed upon him. Yes, the world was to blame. The world _was_ broken. He recited those words in his mind religiously until he was convinced. He swore that if he lived, he would reject the rotten world, reject his fate and reject anything else that stood in the way of his survival.

His body felt very cold. It was as if an icy hand had gripped his heart, freezing it over, and killing any shred of warmth it carried. This sensation was not normal

_-He didn't care._

A devilish smirk sprouted from the lips of the woman in the red dress. The look in his eyes told her that he had just gotten a taste of the world he would soon be swallowed up by, though she didn't miss what she saw in his eyes. What she saw was rare and it made her heart race. No one in her life had ever before caused such a feeling to occur, especially people in a state such as this.

It excited her.

Strength. It was strength that she saw in his eyes. It was a certain type of strength. A strength that made those of lesser will tremble before and bow down to. A type that ruthless war generals and blood-thirsty conquerors had, but only much more fearsome. It was a strength that could only be acquired by throwing something away.

Her grin widened.

"You'll be a good investment," she said with dark amusement in her voice.

The woman blew out a cloud of smoke that caught the boy directly in the face. He accidentally inhaled a large amount of the vapour and he immediately felt nauseous. He tightly shut his eyes, unable to cope with the warping of his surroundings, and slowly lost consciousness. But before passing out, he heard the woman's last words,

_"Your sprint down the path to hell__ has just begun..."_


	2. A Snowflake Covered in Ash

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any elements from G-Senjou no Maou.

X-X-X-X-X

"Watch out!"

The hollow roared with feral rage as it lunged at him from behind. He caught sight of the creature with a glance over his shoulder and coolly side-stepped, effortlessly avoiding the sneak attack.

He scanned his dim surroundings and found that there were numerous hollows gathered around him. They all laughed darkly as they tried to taunt and intimidate him with calls and remarks.

A particular hollow had been terrorizing the city for weeks. Using its uncanny ability to evade detection, the hollow had managed wreak havoc and escape all those who came after it, including the Soul Reapers. So far the creature had consumed over a few dozen humans, eight of them being children under the age of six. The number of souls the hollow has consumed is unknown.

About three hours ago he finally discovered the hollow's whereabouts. It was an old abandoned warehouse near the docks that used to harbour shipments of goods for local businesses a few years ago. Once he entered the dilapidated structure he was met with several hollowed creatures, each virtually oozing murderous intent as they eyed the intruder, which of course led him to his current point in time.

"Shut your mouth, woman!" One of the hollows commanded as it violently handled the spirit in its clutches. It was the ring leader of the pack and the hollow he was looking for.

"Please! You have to save me!" The hostage begged with watery eyes. He noted that she must have been caught just recently. He turned his attention back to the ring leader.

"Listen boy, you got no chance of leaving here alive! I'm a new breed of super hollow!" The hollow declared as it wickedly grinned, showing his numerous rows of teeth. "This little lady is gonna help me in becoming a Vasto Lorde some day and I won't let you get in my way. Many Soul Reapers before you have tried and failed, what makes you think that your fate will be any different?"

He didn't reply. He simply stared at the hollow with an ambiguous expression. The hollow's smile grew wider.

"You see that? He's so scared he can't even say anything!" The hollow remarked which spurred deafening laughter within the compound from the rest of the group."Hey kid, did you piss yourself when you walked in? I'll give you credit for finding me, but that's gonna cost you your life."

The hollow motioned for a few of his lackeys to approach the intruder and the three of them gleefully obliged. "Take him out."

The air in the warehouse shifted slightly as the hollows drew closer, but the rest of the pack were too immersed in their laughter to notice.

The three hollows came at him from different directions, then quicker than the eye could catch, all three of them were cut down.

The laughter immediately stopped and an unnatural silence filled the warehouse.

The hollows stared at him, all of them in shock as they had witnessed their comrades' painfully quick demise. The corpses laid on the ground, their upper body completely separated from the lower, slowly evaporating into particles.

The sword that cut them down proudly stood out in the dim warehouse lighting, their blood dripping from the tip of its slim form. The blade was red; a red so deep that it was thought to be the colour of blood. The ends of the guard curved upwards, similar to the fangs of a predator, and was covered with intricate patterns, and just like the hilt, it was midnight black mixed with patches of crimson.

After finally getting over the initial shock, the ring leader found its voice.

"D-Don't get cocky, brat! You're stuck in here with all of us. There's no way you can win!" The hollow's voice trembled as it tried sound intimidating. The hollow then frantically looked around at the rest of its subordinates. "Don't just stand there! Rip him apart!"

The hollows obeyed the order from their leader and began attacking the man from all sides. The lone swordsman was not fazed by the numbers.

He moved, like water, weaving through the masses. Slicing, slashing, cutting, stabbing, decapitating, lacerating. It was a display of violent poetry in motion, an art form. He was the artist, his sword the brush, and the warehouse was his canvas. Howls of agony echoed as the red steel tore through their bone and flesh. Blood splattered everywhere, the crimson liquid painting the floors and walls of the building, making the warehouse seem like more of a butchery.

The leader watched in horror as his followers were being decimated before his eyes. The skilled intruder cut through them, not suffering as much as a single scratch and in mere moments, the fight –no, the massacre was over.

The man lowered his sword to his side and turned to face the hollow he was sent to kill only to realize that it had already disappeared.

"Thank you so much for saving me!" The female spirit cried as she embraced him tightly. "I thought I was going to die! I really really thought I was going to die! I was casually wandering the streets, minding my own business, and then that hollow came out of nowhere at kidnapped me! But then you showed up! And then–!"

"Where is it?" He interrupted.

"Huh? Oh! I'm not sure. I think he escaped during the chaos when he saw you kill all of those hollows. You were amazing!" She gushed excitedly. "I just want to go to the Soul Society already! I want hurry up and meet my friends and family!"

"I see," he said, closing his eyes.

"I'm so excited! It's been forever since I've seen them! I can't wait––!" The woman's happy expression ceased as her eyes went wide. She backed away from him and looked downwards to find the red blade pierced through her chest. She then looked back up to meet the man's amber eyes. "W-Why?"

"I'm surprised no one was able to pick up on this. Those guys from the Soul Society must have been pretty thick not have noticed."

The woman coughed out spurts of blood and weakly asked, "What are you talking about?"

"You've been able to cheat death thanks to that ability of yours, hollow."

The woman froze.

"Possessing spirits and hiding your own spiritual pressure, that's how you do it. Unfortunately for you, this is the end."

"How did you find out?" The hollow decided to use its real voice to ask.

"Majority spirits do not know about the Soul Society or what even lies on the other side. They usually refer to the term "Heaven", but that alone wasn't the reason."

The hollow saw the swordsman's whole body glow an ominous black and red aura as the force of his strong spiritual pressure came down on him. The hollow couldn't move. The sword was still buried in its chest and then it began to see something that truly terrified it.

"What is that?!"

The hollow saw a large dark beast standing behind the swordsman. The only thing it could make out was that the monster had intimidating red eyes that glowed in the dark and its great wings that spanned from one side of the warehouse to the other.

"Like you, I have an evil soul, therefore I can sense evil," he said.

"B-B-But if you kill me, you'll-!"

"Kill the spirit as well? Didn't I already tell you?" he asked, his blood-coated face contorting into a wicked smirk as his eyes came alive.

_"I am evil."_

X-X-X-X-X

He walked out of the warehouse after a few minutes and was immediately met with a cool, gentle sea breeze. He took a moment to enjoy the peace. He inhaled the ocean air as he silently listened to the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks. It had been eight years since the incident that changed his life, the day where he lost many things. The memory was still fresh in his mind. He remembered the blazing fires, the lifeless bodies with terrified expressions, the smell of charred flesh and the hollows that ran amok.

Though, he wasn't haunted by the memory. It served as a reminder that he was helpless back then and that he never wanted to feel that way again. He was strong now, very strong. But he still wasn't strong enough to change anything, not yet anyway.

He noticed that the sun was beginning to rise and sighed. He was done for the night.

He whipped out a cell phone from his inside jacket pocket and pressed the call button on the last number on the log. After a few rings, the person answered.

_"Kyousuke."_

"I'm done with the assignment."

_"Good, good. The money will be wired into your account. Make sure to stop by before you go home, there's something I need to discuss with you."_

"I need to shower though," He deadpanned and the woman on the other end of the line laughed.

_"Kyousuke, you need to stop making such a mess on your missions. But you know me, I don't mind a little blood."_

"I never mentioned that there was blood." He had a feeling that the woman had a smug look on her face at that moment.

_"You didn't have to."_

The line cut without so much as a goodbye. He was expected to show up at the office, and since it was her, he couldn't refuse.

Without wasting anymore time, Kyousuke walked towards the parked Honda Shadow that was under the lone street lamp. He swung his leg over the bike, slotted the key into the ignition, revved up the engine and smirked as he listened to the machine roar to life with vigor.

In seconds, he was speeding away from the harbour and towards the bright city lights, already forgetting the face of the spirit he had killed.


	3. Calm Before the Storm

_Translation of Certain Terminology:_

_Reiryoku: spiritual energy, power_

_Reiatsu: spiritual pressure_

_Reishi: spiritual particles_

X-X-X-X-X

The electric glass doors whoosed open, allowing Kyousuke to walk into the lobby of the establishment. It was a tastefully decorated room. There were priceless framed paintings on the white walls, the standard pot plant most offices had, black tiled floors and comfortable furniture one could almost fall asleep in.

There were many people gathered in the lobby, dressed in standard business attire, either on the phone chatting, signing documents or sitting down, busy on their laptops. Even though it was a Saturday, the place was still very busy. No matter how early he arrived (which wasn't very early at all) there would still be people there before him. However, their attention was stolen by his sudden appearance in the room and they didn't miss the traces of blood on his black jacket either.

They stared at him for a brief moment before they resumed doing whatever it was they were occupied with.

Nothing out of the ordinary, was what the people in the room probably thought.

Kyousuke briskly walked through the lobby and arrived at the elevator. He pressed the button, and to his relief, the elevator doors immediately opened for him and casually stepped inside. Just as he was about to press the button to the main office floor, he heard someone shout.

"WAIT!"

Kyousuke directed his attention to the source of the shout.

A woman, he noted.

"_Please!" _She begged. "Wait for me!"

He stared at the woman as she advanced towards the elevator. She must have assumed that he was waiting for her as she suddenly smiled in relief.

"Thank you! I thought I wasn't going to-!" As she was giving her thanks, the metallic doors abruptly closed, shutting her out of the elevator.

Kyousuke didn't have the time nor the patience to share an elevator right now. He had important business with his master/employer. The woman could wait for the next one or even take the stairs for all he cared.

Though, Kyousuke couldn't help but smirk. Her expression at the moment before the doors closed was just priceless.

As the elevator ascended, Kyousuke decided to pass the time by distracting himself with his cellphone. It was then that he noticed something strange.

_08:03? It must have happened again. And it felt like just a minute ago the sun was rising._

The sudden _ding _of the elevator pushed the thought aside as he realized he had arrived on the head office floor.

The doors opened and his scenery changed. There was definite difference between the lobby and the floor his was on. The head office floor was decorated with numerous portaits of a single woman. There were mainly coloured in red, black and white, and in almost every portrait, the woman scowled and it felt as if she was glaring at you with her powerful eyes.

Instead of black, they were white tiles and there was a narrow velvet red carpet that led from the elevator to a pair of large, wooden double doors with fountains on each side. Again, the fountains looked exactly like the woman.

_No matter how many times I come up here, I'll never get over how narassistic you can be._ Kyousuke sighed.

He walked up to the double doors and pushed them open. He then entered the large office occupied by the woman in the portraits, the same woman he was on the phone earlier with, and the very same woman who offered him the chance to live all those years ago.

"Reika."

She had her back towards him, staring out of the window, her gaze capturing the workings of the city, whilist she held a lit cigar. She sported a maroon business suit-jacket and skirt with a grey trench trench coat draped over her shoulders as well as wearing black high heels which all made for a dignified persona.

"You're late as usual," was the woman's curt response.

The woman who stood in front of him was Katsukawa Reika, one of the many crime lords in Takayanagi City who dealt in the affairs of the supernatural world. She ran an underground empire that specialized in anything from slaying particular hollows and saving lost souls to the selling of spiritual based weaponary and the committing horrific acts such as experimentation, abduction and assassination. As long as there was a profit, it didn't matter. The name of this organization was the _Kougeki Company._

The organization reigned over most parts of the city and by maintaining the cover of a delivery business, it threw off suspicion, allowing their operations to go unimpeeded by human interference. And if some unfortunate soul was too nosy for their own good, she would bribe them, but if that didn't work, she took other _necessary_ measures.

"Sorry about that. I somehow lost track of time," Kyousuke explained as the woman turned to face him.

"It can't be helped, I guess." Reika sighed. "But once again, good work. That hollow had been causing problems for our clients for a while, and I assure you, they paid handsomely for the trouble."

The woman's heels clicked as she walked towards her desk and leaned on the piece of furniture. She crossed one leg over the other as she continued to smoke the cigar. "The reason I called you here is because there's a been another job request I need you to handle."

"How much?" The sudden question brought a smirk to the woman's face.

"As expected of my protegé. Never beating around the bush. Then I'll get to it. The pay is fifty million yen." Kyousuke raised his eyebrow at the substantial sum of money and Reika held a hand up. "I know. I was suprised as well, but the client has already paid half of the amount and will pay the other half when the job his done."

Kyousuke closed his eyes for a moment. "This isn't one of our usuals," He calmly stated.

"You're right, it isn't. This time our client is someone within the Soul Society, a Soul Reaper."

"So, what do they want with us?"

"As you know, our ties with the Soul Reapers has been on thin ice as of late due to some... _misunderstandings_. They're starting to ask questions about our operations that I do not want to answer, but for now they think we're just an organization doing our part to help maintain the balance of the world. But that could change at a moment's notice," she warned.

"To prevent any unnecessary bloodshed, we need to restore the lost trust by doing something for them. As much as I hate the thought of merely associating with them, they are offering good amount of compensation, so listen carefully. I need you to track down all and any information regarding an ancient item called the_ King's Sceptre.__"_

Kyousuke remained silent, prompting her to continue.

"Legend has it that was a tool used by the Soul King himself to restore balance to the spiritual world should it reach the point of armageddon by drawing on the power of a site rich with _reishi_. I recently discovered that eight years ago, someone had managed to pull of the impossible and retrieve the sceptre from the Royal Dimension."

By now Kyousuke's eyes had snapped open as he felt his own heart accelerate.

_Eight... Years ago?_

"Rumour has it that it was a group of people that tried to test the sceptre's capabilities in a populated area using negative energy that was much like a hollow's own. To say that the results were catastrophic is an understatement." Reika paused and took a long drag of her cigar before going on. "That was the day I found _you._"

Kyousuke froze, taken aback by the news that he received from the woman. His face must given away what he felt at the moment because Reika decided to prod at the strings of the young man's heart.

"Are you angry? Sad maybe? To know that there was actually somebody responsible for taking away your family and all that you held dear must be akin to nails digging into an old wound. What exactly are you feeling, Kyousuke?" Her voice held a mix of riducule and curiousity as a small wicked smile appeared on her lips in anticipation for a response. "Won't you answer me?"

"What are you talking about?" Kyousuke calmly replied, his hard amber eyes meeting Reika's playful grey ones as he continued. "It's true that I lost all those things, but because I lost them I was able to become stronger than I ever thought possible. I do not care about the past. Right now, all that's changed is the fact I know the reason by behind what happened those years ago. Reika, you asked what exactly am I feeling right now? Then I'll tell you: Absolutely _nothing_."

Reika's wicked smile never wavered. She stared at Kyousuke for the longest time before she finally spoke.

"Did you know? They say that the eyes are the window to the soul, and since the day I met you as a child, your eyes haven't changed in the slightest."

"What do you mean by that, Reika?" Kyousuke asked, his voice filled with hostility.

Reika shrugged. "Nothing. It was just a mere observation." She then changed the topic. "Back to the matter at hand. I mentioned earlier that this was a favour to be done for the Soul Reapers, but this actually affects me as well. The King's Sceptre, at that time, wasn't fully powered, so its potential is still vastly unknown. Our job is to recover the King's Sceptre first before anyone else. The Sceptre is definitely in this region as well as the people responsible."

"I'll do it." He paused. "Not for what you think I'm doing it for though."

"Defensive, aren't we?" She teased, waving her cigar at him. "One more thing; the Soul Society has already sent someone to aid you with their request, and no doubt to keep an eye on us. She should be in touch with you anytime now."

Just like that the conversation ended and Kyousuke headed for the door without so much as a goodbye. He knew the woman didn't delve in exchanging such pleasantries, thus doing so was unnecessary.

"Oh and Kyousuke." He had a hand on the door handle as he heard the crime lord call his name. Kyousuke looked back her over his shoulder.

"The _King _doesn't tolerate failure, understand?"

That statement made it clear. He wasn't allowed to make any errors. Kyousuke knew well enough what she meant by that. She called herself the "King" for a reason. To Reika, the title of "queen" sounded too weak for her liking, therefore she claimed the title of the King; a symbol of incontestable power that no other could hope to rival.

Kyousuke obediently nodded and exited the room.

X-X-X-X-X

Kyousuke made his way towards the elevator and crossed paths with three people walking in the opposite direction. One of them was a man who seemed to be his his late twenties. His name was Izawa or something. He wasn't sure. He was scrawny guy who worked in the financial sector of the Kougeki Company. He recalled a rumor he had heard about that the man apparently messed up some transactions a while ago and as a result the Kougeki Company lost millions.

Kyousuke saw a fearful expression on his face as he walked past him. Izawa was pleading with the two burly men that were hauling him by his arms. Naturally they didn't acknowledge him and continued to drag him into Reika's office.

Once the door shut closed, Kyousuke knew he would never see the man around again. Whatever excuse Izawa planned on giving Reika would not prevent his inevitable execution.

Kyousuke stepped into the elevator and as the doors closed, he glanced at Reika's office doors one last time.

_"What exactly are you feeling, Kyousuke?"_

"...I stopped feeling a long time ago," he muttered.


End file.
